Ear Plugs for Shotgun

[mrspock]

I've been shooting quite a bit of shotgun lately and I have a question regarding hearing protection. I use an MSA Sordin headset which is pretty thin, but i still find it annoying when shooting shotgun (an sometimes rifle) as the headset interferes with getting a good cheek weld and I constantly bang the headset against the buttstock. I see quite a few shotgun shooters wearing ear plugs (either custom or not) and I am thinking of getting a pair strictly for shotgun. I would like any feedback on experience with shooting shotgun only wearing earplugs, and what brands/types epople seem to prefer.

Thanks!

Phil

[get2now]

I have the same problem. I use custom ear plugs but if I didn't have those I'd use the foam plugs. I think the ear muffs get in the way and that bothers me during shooting. Get some foam plugs for about 50 cents and try it out.

Gary

[dapribek]

I ran into the exact same problem when I started shooting sporting clays. I found a reputable local firm that sells hearing aids and called to ask if they made custom ear plugs. They did and I sheduled an appointment. At their office, a technician made silicone impressions of both ears. Since this firm normally doesn't keep the molds, I requested that they have them sent to me along with the plugs, (in case I wanted more plugs later). Since I shoot a variety of shooting sports, I ordered 3 pairs of plugs (beats leaving a set in the wrong bag). I was able to negotiate a discount because I ordered multiple sets of plugs.

I have been very happy with the plugs and often wear them and muffs when shooting at an indoor range. Westone is the company that made the plugs from my molds. I hope this helps.

[mpeltier]

You might benefit by a slight change to your technique. I have observed many shooters shoulder a rifle or shotgun and rotate their head into position and the earmuffs get in the way.

Try this, keep your head as straight as possible and bring the rifle/shotgun up to your shoulder/line of sight with as little head movement as possible. Your earmuffs should barely make contact with the stock, if at all.

[davidwiz]

Decot Hy-Wyd made me a pair at the Nationals a couple of years ago. They were not that expensive and I use them all the time, with handgun, rifle, and shotgun.

[mlmiller1]

Decot Hy-Wyd made me a pair at the Nationals a couple of years ago. They were not that expensive and I use them all the time, with handgun, rifle, and shotgun.

You wear glasses for ear protection? Just kidding. All I could find on their website was glasses, couldn't find any ear protection. Am I missing it somehow?

MLM

[J-Ho]

Shoot without anything, after a while you won't notice.

As an added benefit, it makes it easy to ignore noisy spouses/neighbors/children.

All kidding aside, I buy boxes of the little foamy earplugs from an industrial supply place. They're cheap, work well and give my wife something to complain about finding in the washer.

[DMAC]

I got a custom fit plug mold at the NWTF convention. Two weeks later I had my custom fit silicone plugs. Dare I say it's the best money I ever spent on a shooting accessory!

[davidwiz]

Decot Hy-Wyd made me a pair at the Nationals a couple of years ago. They were not that expensive and I use them all the time, with handgun, rifle, and shotgun.

You wear glasses for ear protection? Just kidding. All I could find on their website was glasses, couldn't find any ear protection. Am I missing it somehow?

It could be they don't make the ear plugs anymore.

[TRUBL]

And now a word from an old timer thats been around.

I've used just about every ear plug, ear protection out there over the years. Electronic, non-electronic; custom made; over the head, behind the head, fat ones, slim line ones, etc., etc.....catch my drift?

I've always come back to the SOFT foam ear (roll em up, stick em in) plugs....individual, not the ones with the strings. They've consistanly been the most comfortable, most sound deading plugs I've ever used (29-30dB). I buy them by the box full.....pretty much will last an entire season. I get them at Fastenal, but there are other places you can get them as well.

They never get in the way, don't come out (unless I pull them out).

FYI.....I'm 50 and have no hearing loss, been shooting for over 40 years.

Tim

Edited July 11, 2009 by TRUBL

[HRider]

Ear muffs get in my way when shooting a long gun also, and they are hot. I bought a pair of Surefire earplugs a couple of years ago. I really like them, they are comfortable and they allow you to talk to people/keep score, etc while wearing them. I will put muffs on over them when shooting pistols indoors. They are only $10-12.

Hurley

[kimel]

A couple things to know about custom plugs:

1) Your ear canal changes over time due to growth of the auricle and you will need to get them refit. I was told every 4-5 years when I had mine done but I suspect this is very variable from person to person.

2) If you have health insurance that has a hearing benefit it will probably cover most of the cost of the custom plugs if you have them done at a hearing center that takes your health plan. My custom plugs ended up costing me $6. My health plan allows me to replace them every 3 years but my current set is still fitting really well so I have not scheduled an appointment for new ones yet.

3) I used foam plugs for years but I developed a contact allergy to them. After about 20 minutes my ear canal would become inflamed and very sore. My custom plugs are made out of hypoallergenic silicone. Some custom plugs do not use hypoallergenic material.

4) If you choose to get them strung together grab one of those ID badge clip things and tie a loop in the string. Put that on the ID clip. Then clip the badge clip to your collar or hat...no more lost plugs. [idea shamelessly stolen from Floyd Shoemaker]

5) Easiest way to clean them is to forget them in your shooting pants when you wash them. I'd try to remember to pull them out before the drier though.

[Hank Ellis]

I've got a set of of E.A.R. Inc Instamold plugs in the range bag and another set at work for general use around the ramp. Still use David Clark model 27 muffs when doing high noise work around turbine engines. For indoor shooting I use both the plugs and the muffs.

In many ways you still can't beat the yellow foam plugs from E.A.R. Cheap, easy to use, readily available. If you're sensitive to the material there is another model that works well.

Edited July 13, 2009 by Hank Ellis

[jobob]

I caused some ear damage shooting a SBR in an indoor range using earmuffs only. I can't get a good cheekweld on a longgun without muffs lifting off my head a little. So, I've gone to plugs exclusively for all my 3 and longgunning.

Lately I've been using the Peltor reversable plugs. One end allows hearing conversation, yet blocks out sharp noises. The other end is solid and reduces noises to a greater degree. They were developed for the military for troops to be able to hear human voices but reduce hearing damage in combat. The Surefire (Earpro) plugs mentioned above look promising, too, for the same reason.

That said, the plain foam plugs seem to work the best (short of custom fit plugs) at attenuating the noise.

[Model19]

Ear muffs get in my way when shooting a long gun also, and they are hot. I bought a pair of Surefire earplugs a couple of years ago. I really like them, they are comfortable and they allow you to talk to people/keep score, etc while wearing them. I will put muffs on over them when shooting pistols indoors. They are only $10-12.

Hurley

Those are the EarPro Sonic Defenders. I've been using them for two years now. They work really well and are cheap. In a nutshell, the design is such that they allow sound under 80db (might be off by a few, this is from memory) to pass with negligent reduction, so conversation, etc, is almost normal. Inputs over that peak threshold are reduced by something like 28-30db, never exceeding 80db they claim. I don't have any measuring device to verify that, but I will say that they work great. I also use them on long plane flights and they lessen the ear fatigue you get there too. They are washable and infinitely reusable. Cheap at around $12.00. Surefire's website has more info.

Geoff

[Jeff686]

Ear muffs get in my way when shooting a long gun also, and they are hot. I bought a pair of Surefire earplugs a couple of years ago. I really like them, they are comfortable and they allow you to talk to people/keep score, etc while wearing them. I will put muffs on over them when shooting pistols indoors. They are only $10-12.

Hurley

Those are the EarPro Sonic Defenders. I've been using them for two years now. They work really well and are cheap. In a nutshell, the design is such that they allow sound under 80db (might be off by a few, this is from memory) to pass with negligent reduction, so conversation, etc, is almost normal. Inputs over that peak threshold are reduced by something like 28-30db, never exceeding 80db they claim. I don't have any measuring device to verify that, but I will say that they work great. I also use them on long plane flights and they lessen the ear fatigue you get there too. They are washable and infinitely reusable. Cheap at around $12.00. Surefire's website has more info.

Geoff

Yea! Sonic Defenders are great!! I shoot open, and muffs were not enough, plugs + muffs were way uncomfortable. The sonic defenders are great. I can have reasonably normal conversations, but shooting my open gun is very pleasant! I'm going to order a few spare sets.

[smokshwn]

I would suggest looking at

http://www.espamerica.com/

They offer everything from custom molded plugs to incredibly sophisticated in ear digital hearing protection.

The bonus is that they put an incredible amount of support into the shooting sports.

[Charles Bond]

For about the price of a new shotgun you can purchase a set of electronic in the ear plugs from ESP or Ear, INC. For years I wanted a pair and about the time I would have the money a new rifle/shotgun/pistol purchase would eat up those funds. After I finally took the dive and purchased a pair, I felt like a total fool for waiting so long since I can enjoy this purchase with every firearm I have and they also work great for airshows.

These electronic plugs are far more comfortable than even the best set of nonelectronci custom molded plugs. And to be able to have a conversation with your partner while hunting duck or dove is really great. I purchased the analog set since I really did not see the need to upgrade to the digital and about 30 packs of batteries later (over 5 years) I could not be happier with this purchase.

For those of you who purchase the standard custom nonelectronic molded plugs, you will find them progressively less effective after about 3 years. According to the lady who made mine this is due to the coating wearing thin. Rather than toss them, if you will have another coat of coating applied, they will will go back to the performance they had when new.